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Preface
At its institution in 1991, EPAQS was presented with a considerable challenge - the need to recommend to Government concentrations of air pollutants that would be likely to do minimal harm to the health of the population of the United Kingdom. Government wished to have such figures as a central part of its strategy for air quality, so any recommendations had to be based firmly on the best available scientific evidence.
The members of EPAQS have been selected from scientists expert in a wide range of subjects relevant to air pollution. We have maintained a balance between clinical doctors, epidemiologists, toxicologists and environmental scientists that has, I think, served us well, and has ensured that our discussions have always been interesting and sometimes exciting. Our first important decision was that we would make our recommendations accessible to the public in relatively brief, clearly argued reports written in jargon-free language. Sometimes consensus has been easy to achieve, but more commonly it has been difficult and in many cases our initial feeling has been that the task might prove impossible. Nevertheless, we have come to agreed conclusions for all the major and some minor pollutants.
No air quality standard is going to be perfect or be welcomed by all parties to the debate, and some will need modification as new evidence accumulates. However, those we have proposed to date appear to have received a measure of public support. Credit for this must go to the members of the Panel who have put in long hours, usually in their spare time, to produce their contributions to our debates and concluding reports. It is also appropriate to pay tribute to the Scientific Civil Servants of our secretariat, without whose dedication and help our work would be impossible. It has been a privilege for me to have chaired the Panel, and one that I have much enjoyed.
Professor Anthony Seaton, CBE, MD, FRCP, FRCPE, FFOM, FMedSci
Published 16 January 2001
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